LET'S EXPLORE POLAND

Copyright 1998 by the AngloPol Corporation

This series takes us through the cities, towns, villages and countryside of Poland, 
as well as give us insights into the rich history and culture of the nation.

Part 34

POMERANIA

KAMIEN POMORSKI

Kamien Pomorski, with health resort, spa and sanatorium, is a town on Kamienski Bay. In the summer season, there are weekly organ concerts in the cathedral, as well as annual festivals of organ and chamber music. From the 12th century it was the seat of Polish bishops and a former capital of Pomeranian dukes; earlier (9th-10th century) it was a port town of the Wolinianie. An historic urban complex it holds a late Romanesque-late Gothic basilica (12th-13th century), late Gothic bishops' palace, fragments of defensive walls with the Wolin Gate, and a town hall of the 15th century. There are attractive surroundings for tourists and anglers.

KOLOBRZEG

A commercial and fishing port at the mouth of the Parseta River, Kolobrzeg is a seaside resort and health spa, with numerous sanatoriums and a physical therapy clinic that treats respiratory, circulatory, rheumatic, internal secretions and metabolic disorders. A fortified town in the 9th century, in 1000 it was the seat of a Polish bishopric; in the 14th century a member of Hansa and had a town charter from duke Warcislaw III in 1255. The Prussians transformed the town into a fortress, which desperately defended itself in World War II. After fierce fighting, causing great destruction, the town was liberated by units of the First Polish Army. During the military actions it was 90% destroyed, then rebuilt and expanded. A 14th century Gothic collegiate church, a 15th century burgher's house and the Gun Powder Tower are among the few historic relics that have been preserved. In the immediate vicinity are seaside resorts in Ustronie Morskie and Dzwirzyno.

KOSZALIN

A provincial capital, Koszalin boasts metal, machine, electrotechnical, wood, building materials industries. It has its own airport. A cultural and scientific center it has an engineering college and theaters. The Festival of Polonia Choirs is held every three years. It was rebuilt and expanded after wartime destruction. Gaining a town charter in 1266, it competed with Kolobrzeg in maritime commerce. Visitors can see a 14th century Gothic cathedral, a 17th century presbytery, fragments of defensive walls and old burghers' houses. In the vicinity is Lake Jamno, cut off from the Baltic by a sandy spit on which there are the seaside resorts of Mielno and Uniescie.

LEBA

A town by the mouth of the Leba River to the sea, Leba is between lakes Lebsko and Sarbsko, and is a large seaside resort with a magnificent sandy beach. The River Leba links several lakes into a convenient route for canoe races. It has a fishing port, passenger landing-stage and a large camping-site.

MALBORK

A town on the eastern arm of the Vistula-Nogat delta, Malbork houses food, textile and machine industries. The river port is an important tourist center. In 1274 the Teutonic Knights began construction of a castle, called Marienburg, and in 1276 the settlement beside the castle received a town charter. After its incorporation into Poland in 1466 it became a vivodship capital. From 1772 it was under Prussian occupation. In the years 1940-45 there was a camp for war prisoners here in which there were more than 30,000 prisoners of various nationalities.

Captured as a fortress in fierce fighting and suffering tremendous destruction, today the rebuilt castle complex is one of the largest medieval defensive systems in Europe. The High Castle is surrounded by a wall, with an arcaded courtyard refectory, capitulatory and chapel of the Holy Virgin Mary and Golden Gate, the Middle Castle with the Great Refectory, palace of the Great Master and chapel of St. Bartholomew. The Low Castle has an armory and Church of St. Lawrence, gates and towers. The Castle Museum holds archaeological collections concerning the history of the castle and a collection of amber. In the town there is a Gothic town hall, Gothic mill, parish church of St. John (15th century) and the Hospital of Jerusalem (16th-17th centuries).

MIEDZYZDROJE

A town on the island of Wolin on the Baltic, Miedzyzdroje is a seaside resort. First mentioned in the 12th century, once the settlement was called Zelazo and belonged to the bishops of Kamien. In the 16th century it became a customs-house. The Natural History Museum of the Wolin National Park is located here. There are excursions from the pier in pleasure boats and "mount" Gosan (alt 95m), the highest point on the Polish coast, is in the vicinity.

PELPIN

The town of Pelpin is on the Wierzyca River. From 1274 it was the seat of a Cistercian abbey. In the years 1308-1466 it fell into the hands of the Teutonic Knights and from 1772 was under Prussian occupation. From 1824 it was the seat of the bishopric of Chelmno and a center of the Polish national movement. The town charter was granted in 1931. It holds a Gothic Cistercian monastery complex; a church (from 1824 a cathedral) from the turn of the 13th century, with a rich interior; a Gothic parish church; and historic houses of the 19th century. In the Diocesan Museum is a unique copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Discovered in 1957 in the library of the theological seminary was the Pelpin Tabulatur for organ, one of the most voluminous hand-written musical relics of the 17th century in Europe.

PYRZYCE

Pyrzyce is on the most fertile region of Western Pomerania. During World War II 80% of the town was destroyed. An old Slavic town, probably a center of the Prisani tribe, it was mentioned by a chronicler in the 9th century. In 1124 Otto of Bamberg performed the first mass baptism of Pomeranians here. The preserved defensive walls are a magnificent example of medieval fortifications, including the Szczecin Gate, Owl's Tower, Ice Tower, Gun Powder Tower. The center of the medieval district is in the shape of a heart. Located here are the church of St. Maurice of the 13th-15th centuries; half-timbered houses of the 18th-19th centuries; Banska Gate, Monk's Tower, Drunk's Tower; Chramowe Hill, where legend places the pagan temple of the Prisani; and the catch basin where the baptism took place.

SLUPSK

A provincial capital on the Slupia River, Slupsk is in the central part of the coast. Its commerce includes wood, beet-harvesting machine factory, metal, food and shoe industries. It holds a higher Pedagogical School, dramatic theater and doll theater, as well as a traveling folk theater. Annual Festival of Young Polish Pianists is held here. An ancient Slavic fortified settlement, in the 14th century it was seized by Brandenburg. The town charter was gained in 1310, regained by the Western Pomeranian dukes, given over to the Teutonic Knights and repurchased, and was until 1630 in the possession of the Western Pomeranian dukes. In 1653 it passed into the rule of the Hehenzollerns. Despite germanization, the vicinity of Slupsk retained its Slavic character to the 19th century.

The Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes on the Slupia River (beginning of the 14th century, rebuilt in the 16th century), now a Museum of Central Pomerania, has historical and ethnographic collections and also a gallery of modern painting with a rich collection of the works of S. Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy). Visitors will find a castle mill, The Mill Gate (one of the oldest relics of industrial architecture in Poland,) Witches' Tower and Gothic chapel of St. George. There is also the New Gate and fragments of town walls from the 15th century, as well as the Gothic church of the Dominicans (1278), rebuilt in the 14th century as a castle church with tombs of duchess Anna de Croy (sister of duke Boguslaw XIV) and her son.

On the right tributary of the Odra-Ina is the town of Stargard Szczecinski with food, metal and chemical industries. Mentioned historically in 1124, it received its town charter in 1253, belonged to the Hansa and competed with Szczecin in the grain trade. Until 1720 it was the capital of Brandenburg Pomerania. During the last war it was the site of a POW camp. The town was badly damaged during the fighting, then rebuilt and expanded. Here we find the Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of the end of the 13th century, Church of St. John the Baptist (15th century), organist's residence of the 15th century, remnants of defensive walls with gates and towers from the 13th century, a 16th century armory, and Baroque buildings (a guardhouse and Municipal Weights and Measures,) Klatzan House (15th-16th century) and the "New Exchange" House (16th century).

SOPOT

Lying between Gdynia and Gdansk, Sopot is a tourist and recreation spot. It has a health spa, a treatment center for motor impairments and rheumatic diseases. An important cultural and scientific center, it features the "Wybrzeze" Theater of Gdansk and the Forest Opera with an annual International Song Festival. Sopot has a horse-racing course, spa park and longest pier on the Baltic. Developed from a fishing village, from 1772 it was under Prussian occupation and in the years 1919-39 within the limits of the Free City of Gdansk. Visitors will see villas in Secessionist style and classical palaces. A center of water skiing, it has a coastal harbor, marked tourist trails in the belt of wooded hills and a ski lift.

SZCZECIN

A provincial capital on the Odra, Szczecin's eastern arm is on the Regalica River and Lake Dabie. Together with Swinoujscie, it forms a large port, fishing and shipping complex. It is an important node of communication, as well as a cultural and scientific center, with an airport, road and rail frontier crossings. Commerce includes shipbuilding, food, chemical, machinery, paper, wood and electrotechnical industries. It has a diversified location in the Szczecin Hills and Bukowa Forest. On the cultural level it boasts a Medical Academy, Engineering College, Agricultural Academy, Higher Maritime School, scientific societies, four theaters and a philharmonic orchestra.

Originally an ancient Slavic settlement, from the 14th century it was capital of the West Pomeranian duchy; later occupied by the Swedes, Brandenburgians, then by Prussia (1720). In the years 1806-13 it was under French occupation. In the 19th-20th century the town rapidly developed economically, and there was a large influx of Poles from Pomerania and Wielkopolska. Numerous Polish organizations were formed, which also were very active during the interwar period. Liberated in 1945, it was rebuilt and considerably expanded.

Sights include the Gothic parish church of St. James (14th century); the Church of SS. Peter and Paul (15th century); Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes (14th-16th centuries), square-shaped, with a courtyard, a crypt with the Seven Cloaks; remnants of defensive walls of the 13th and 14th century, an 18th century Baroque palace; 13th century town hall; Loitz banking house (16th century); and the Small and Large Granary (15th century). It is exceptionally rich in greenery with the Goleniowska Forest, Wkrzanska Forest and Bukowa (Spruce) Forest encroaching upon the town limits. Together with numerous water sources and hills, the forests make it an exceptionally attractive tourist and recreation spot.

USTKA

A town on the mouth of the Slupia to the Baltic, Ustka is a seaside resort, recreation center. It is also a fishing port, with shipbuilding and fish processing industries. It developed from a fishing settlement with the original name of Ujsc. First mentioned in 1310, the town charter was granted in 1945. It has considerably expanded after World War II. The town ahs numerous historic 18th and 19th century houses.

--Conclusion of Series--